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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Escaping Allergies Through Play

This morning the kids have been super-charged with energy:) They have been busy, busy, busy!! As I ate breakfast they were in their own little world.... at a restaurant!

What initially caught my attention was the conversation. Christopher was the waiter/chef and from the living room he called out, "Do you want tomatos or cheese?"

Both girls knodded "yes" and responded back, "Tomatos and cheese!Tomatos and cheese.... tomatos and cheese."

You see NONE of the kids have EVER had cheese.... they don't know what it tastes like. They don't know if they like it or NOT!! They CAN'T have it.... they have a dairy allergy!

But sitting at Chez Christopher - the upscale restaurant at our house - they can have whatever foods they want (and as much as they want as well)! When are pretending, they don't have the restrictions of food allergies.

Our food allergies are manageable..... we avoid dairy products, eggs and peanuts (which you won't even find in our house). And while the kids are living with the restrictions... I think us, as parents and grandparents, are more emotionally affected by the allergies than the kids are.

The kids know there are food they can't have and they never remember having them. When they are offered food they will ask the ingredients or come ask me. I try to keep them very close at socials so the younger two don't get into anything they can't have. And I ALWAYS TRY to bring a treat/food for them. Sometimes Christopher will show disappointment by not being allowed to try a new food.... but usually they just shrug their shoulders and say "ok".

But us parents, we think of the long-term. We are "sad" that the kids may never be able to eat some foods that we enjoy, like pizza, a chocolate bar or nachos (healthy stuff... LOL)! We worry MORE that they will have to watch everything they put into their mouths for the rest of lives... which at times can be very burdensome.

I'm soo praise the Lord for the allergies they don't have and the fact that there is plenty of different, delicious foods for us to eat safely. The kids are happy, healthy and growing. And if recent studies are accurate, the kids might be healthier down the road with all the soymilk they consume (maybe us too since we are also drinking soy exclusively)!!

3 comments:

I'm not a fan of soy (has estrogen like properties), but I think it's great that your kids don't seem to be really bothered by their food allergies. I've heard people say that they feel so much healthier without dairy, even if they don't have an allergy. Maybe we'd all be better of without some things! Though no pizza... that would be a tough one.

You know what? Your kids are more lucky with this than me! I understand your point saying of being "sad" but when you never have known it you will not miss it. I got the milk allergy just during the last years and did not know about it. So I am missing it (sometimes) as I have known to drink a hot chocolate or to eat ice-cream. It's wrong to say your kids could be happy to have the allergy already in young age, but at least when they never will try the food they have been allergic to, they never will miss it. By the way have you asked your doctor whether it could be that your kids "only" have a lactose intolerance? Or a cow milk allergy? I found out that I can eat sheep and goat's cheese. So it seems to be only cow milk which makes me sick.

The Crew

We are a young family with 4 little sweet blessings!! Together we are learning to love the Lord, each other, our extended family, friends and our neighbors!

Anna is 12 and is the best big sister around!! She works hard in home school enjoying math, science and history! During play she likes being Lydia and Chris' teacher as well as practicing the piano, working with horses and her bunny, Mr Darcy, and

Christopher is 11 and is the definition of "all boy"... LEGOS, fishing, tools and weapons! He loves math and retains details from stories and history amazingly well. We love his drawings and stories, his fort building skills and his compassionate heart. Chris blogs about his drawings.

Lydia is feisty and mature at 9!! She's a princess tomboy... One minute she's sword fighting with her brothers, the next minute she is making bracelets with her sister. Lydia loves reading! Her servant's heart and her contagious smile make her a joy! Lydia blogs about the pets at our house.

Nate is our busy 6 yr old!! He loves his siblings and tries to keep up with them!! He provides the entertainment and a lot of the distractions in our days. It's an exciting time watching him learn new things every moment. We all adore his funny statements and crazy antics!